Time and Portals
by Bluelazor
Summary: Deep in the bowels of Aperture Science Data Enrichment Center, a young woman with no memory of her life before Aperture is forced to complete GLaDOS' many tests. Her almost-predictable life is changed for the better when a strange, blue box appears in one of the test chambers.
1. Worthless

A ball of metal drifted through space, its blue light looked around at the vast emptiness around it.

"I'm in space!" An excited voice broke the quietness that lasted only one minute, it came from a similar metal ball that orbited around the blue one, its yellow light looked this way and that way.

"Yes, mate! I know! We're in space!" The metal ball with a blue light replied in annoyance. The counter in its system told him it was the one year anniversary of their banishment into space. Looking back at planet Earth, he sighed. "If only we weren't, if only I was there, I could see her again, I could tell her just how sorry I am. Oh, Wheatley," he finally spoke to himself, "you really are a moron, letting things fall apart like that. How could you do that? We had everything and you threw it away for that bit of power you had no idea how to control!"

Millions of miles away from Wheatley and his overly-excited companion, a girl stepped off an elevator. Her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail while her bangs hung over her brown eyes, the metal boots clanged against the metal walk way as she walked towards the door.

"Oh good, you made it through. Let's move on to the next test, shall we?" A voice echoed across the walls, it sounded mechanical and emotionless. She kept herself from expressing her frustration, knowing full well the voice would take pleasure in it. Her orange, baggy pants swayed from side to side as she stepped forward. A circular door ahead of her with a stick figure glowing on it slid open as she got closer to it, instantly closing behind her once she entered the white room. She instantly moved against the wall, clinging the gun with three prongs close to her chest as she watched the still and red light shine in front of her.

"Hello?" Another mechanical voice echoed against the metal walls, "is anyone there?"

"_I hate turrets,"_ she thought as she glared at the red light. At that moment she had an epiphany: she had no memories of her life before the two robots woke her up, all she remembers is test chamber after chamber, puzzle after puzzle, turret after turret. Staring at the red beam in front of her, she soon realized it was her best friend. Her salvation. It could put an end to her misery.

Before she could even step towards the light, a new noise erupted behind her. Her movements stopped and she froze in place, noticing a strange blue glow on the wall nearest to her. Slowly she turned around and gasped at the sight of a blue box in front of her. It was tall and different, the light on top nearly touched the ceiling of the chamber's entrance, beneath it were the words "Police Call Box" in glowing, light blue letters. Her head tilted in curiosity as her eyes lowered to look at the double doors. How did it get here? Is it a part of the test? Is it deadly? Those and many other questions soon flooded through her mind like Neurotoxin.

"What's going on? Who put that there?" The voice spoke up, clearly annoyed by the sudden interruption.

The door to the strange box opened, light poured out of it, causing her to raise an arm in front of herself to shield her eyes from the light.

"Now where am I?" A new voice questioned with excitement as a man stepped out of the box, closing the door behind him. He was tall, or at least wore clothes that made his figure seem taller than it is: boots, pants with suspenders, a tweed jacket, and a bow tie. His face skinny with a very defined jaw line, brown hair hung over his head, bits dangling in a very unique bang style over his very light blue eyes which were darting around the room. "White walls, red beam," his eyes rested on her as he finally realized he wasn't alone, "ah, hello. I'm the Doctor. And you are?" She just stared at him, not sure how or if she should answer him. Was this a part of the test? By the voice's response to the box, it might not be, but this wouldn't be the first time the voice tried to trick her. "It's quite alright," the Doctor spoke up with an encouraging smile after a few moments of silence, "I'm not asking for your whole life's story, just your name."

"I don't know," she finally replied to him, her first words since waking up.

"Interesting name, although I'm not really one to judge, I call myself a profession after all. Nice to meet you 'I-'" the Doctor stopped in mid-sentence and stared at her, "oh, you meant to say you don't know as in you, you don't know your name, correct?" She nodded. "I see."

"She has no memory of her life before, all she knows is this place. Not like her life was anything worth remembering," the voice jumped into the one-sided conversation, instantly making her feel like she should go somewhere, hide, and never come out.

"I wouldn't say that. I've met a lot of people and not one of them is not worth remembering. So who might you be?" The Doctor turned around in a full 360 degree spin, trying to find the source of the voice, his eyes looked at the gun in her hand, noticing the Aperture Laboratories logo on it. The excited look on his face was erased, replaced by a look of sorrow. "GLaDOS," he whispered.

"Indeed, and I've taken the liberty of reading your file. What a traitor you are? I've never seen someone with so much blood on their hands."

"I would say the same about you, but you don't have hands."

"They had it coming. Well, while you're here," the ceiling opened up as a claw came down and grabbed the blue box, pulling it up. The Doctor sighed as the ceiling moved back in place, preventing him from seeing his blue box, "you might as well do some testing. I'll be nice and let you test with Worthless – that is what I call her, by the way. I had to come up with something as the scientists deleted her file after hiding her in the Vault." He looked at Worthless and gave her a look she couldn't quite figure out. Pity? Soon he sensed her confusion and turned his attention towards GLaDOS.

"You know, you're not the first to separate me from the TARDIS, there have been plenty of others, and they all ended up regretting it," his hands were shaking as he glared up at a camera. Worthless soon caught on to what this emotion was, she experienced it several times and managed to keep it hidden: anger. He was furious with GLaDOS.

"It won't happen to me, I don't regret anything," GLaDOS calmly replied, "let's get to testing, shall we?" Worthless turned around to face the red beam. It was there, she could do it, GLaDOS already had a replacement right there, but she couldn't. Why? Something was holding her back, literally. She looked down at her arm and saw a hand holding it, following the hand towards the arm connected to it, she found the Doctor right behind her.

"I know what you're thinking," he whispered to her, "don't do it. I'll get you out of here, I promise, you just have to trust me. We'll get out of here and then the TARDIS can tell us who you are. Please, don't do it." A smile slowly appeared on his face again as Worthless began to nod. "Good. Now, let's get rid of this, shall we?" He reached into his tweed jacket and pulled out a small, metal stick with four prongs and a light at the end. The Doctor pointed it towards the red beam and pushed a button, the light at the end glowed green.

"Shutting down," the turret's voice sadly announced before the red beam vanished. Worthless cautiously walked towards the turret, after confirming to herself that the turret was in fact dead, she looked at the Doctor's stick with curiosity.

"Sonic Screwdriver," the Doctor answered the question she kept in her mind as he tossed the Sonic Screwdriver into the air and caught it nonchalantly, "useful for scanning, turning off devices, and putting up cupboards."

"_What's a cupboard?"_ Worthless thought as she tilted her head. The Doctor merely smiled and walked past her, ready to investigate the rest of the chamber. She quietly followed him deeper into the chamber. After a few minutes of looking around the chamber, she quickly placed a blue portal at her feet and an orange one on the ceiling above it, jumped in without hesitation and began a never-ending fall. The Doctor watched in slight horror, really unsure on what she was planning. Instinctively, she moved the orange portal to the wall and flew through it, landing perfectly on her feet on a balcony high above the Doctor. An Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube rested at her feet, the white box floated in front of her when she pushed a button on the Portal Gun and remained airborne ahead of her as she jumped off the balcony and landed right next to the Doctor.

"I think I should come up with a new name for you," the Doctor smiled, impressed with her already, " 'Worthless' doesn't suit you at all."

"If you say so," Worthless calmly agreed, hiding her relief at no longer being called a degrading word. She walked over to a large, red button on the floor and laid the cube on top of it. _Swoosh. _The button glowed as lights on the floor lit up in a row leading straight towards a now open door on a small landing across a moat of toxic liquids.

"How do we get over there?" The Doctor stared at the toxic pool and then at the small area of safety by the door, already he noticed there were no portal surfaces by the door. Worthless proceeded to move the orange portal back above the blue portal and jumped through, after only three rounds of falling through the portals did she place the orange portal on the wall facing the exit. She fell through and soared through the air, her Long-Fall Boots making certain she landed on her feet again. The Doctor grinned as he watched the entire thing, clapping when she landed near the exit.

"Your turn," Worthless felt a smile form on her face. For the first time for as long as she could remember, she was in the company of someone who was friendly towards her and wasn't trying to kill her. It brought on a new emotion that she couldn't figure out. It was warm and comforting, something she didn't want to go away. For the first time in a long time she was happy. Without even thinking, she aimed and returned the orange portal above the blue one.

"Don't worry about me, I've got it," the Doctor pointed his Sonic Screwdriver at the walls and pushed a button, the walls soon turned and faced upwards, turning into a floor he could safely walk across on. Her smile faded as she watched him confidently walk towards her without a care in the world. "Something wrong?" He asked whilst passing her and going through the open doorway.

"Why didn't you do that before? It would have saved a lot more time," she replied in annoyance as she followed him into the elevator.

"I never understood that saying, 'saving time'. A bit silly, if you ask me," the Doctor pushed the button again and the elevator moved up with them inside, "can't really save time like you save money in a bank or anything, although I have saved time itself from falling apart. Long story."

"What are you talking about?" Worthless stared at the Doctor, completely lost now.

"Everything all at once, and nothing at all. Now about your name, I'm thinking 'Darra', it's Gaelic for 'small great one'. I think it fits rather well."

She was silent, very unsure on how to respond to that.

"I'll take your silence as an agreement," the Doctor smiled at Darra, looking away only when the doors opened into what appeared to be a large, empty room, "come along, Darra." He stepped off the elevator with Darra close behind him.


	2. Cake

"Well you found me," GLaDOS' voice rang through the dome-like room, "congratulations on making a record. I would very much like to test and see if you can break the record on the longest-lasting life against Neurotoxin, Doctor."

"I don't think that's necessary," the Doctor merely smiled as he waved his Sonic Screwdriver in front of him like it was an Olympic gold medal, "we both know I could use this and turn you into scrap metal before I'd inhale anywhere near enough Neurotoxin to regenerate."

"_Regenerate? What is he talking about?"_ Darra watched the two of them having their conversation that seemed rather friendly, despite it involving a competition to see who could live the longest. It was a shocking surprise to see the source of the voice Darra had been hearing for almost ten months. She found the robot that was danging from the ceiling before her rather odd, it seemed safe, but intimidating at the same time. Dreams of an entire company, working endlessly for decades, and this was the result? A robot dangling from the ceiling with an obsession with testing, Neurotoxin, and cake. Terrifying how GLaDOS could combine the three so perfectly.

"I could easily crush you and incinerate you, leaving nothing behind. No more Being Alive Club activities for you," GLaDOS replied to the Doctor, soon followed by a rather mocking laugh.

"Where's my TARDIS?" The Doctor decided to change the subject after finally noticing his precious blue box wasn't in the room, "I was certain you'd take it here."

"Of course I did, then you took control of the elevator and I thought moving the queen was in order. That's a reference to chess, by the way."

"You are forgetting that the TARDIS is my queen, not yours. All you've managed to do is keep her captive for a little longer. But you're forgetting one thing, one very important thing."

"And what's that?"

"Her," the Doctor pointed his Sonic Screwdriver at Darra.

"Me? Why am I the important thing?" Darra questioned in extreme confusion.

"You just are," the Doctor answered, making Darra very uneasy.

"You've known her for only a few minutes, Doctor. You don't know her like I do, she's nothing important," GLaDOS laughed again as Darra looked down like the floor was the only thing that made her feel better.

"Let's agree to disagree," the Doctor smiled and grabbed Darra's hand that wasn't already holding the Portal Gun. Parts of a wall shifted after he pushed a button on his Sonic Screwdriver.

"How about I just kill both of you now?"

"Run!" The only command from the Doctor, before Darra could respond he was already out of the chamber and nearly dragging her behind him. It took a few steps before it seemed her legs understood the concept of running and they were soon side by side down the catwalk. After only five minutes of running, the duo reached a dead end. The Doctor stared at the broken catwalk and the long drop beneath them, trying not to hide his concern, he began looking around for anything he might be able to move down with his Sonic Screwdriver. Darra stared at the drop and noticed a portal surface, she smiled and placed a blue portal on it, looking up she spotted another portal surface above them. After an orange portal was in place on the second surface, she observed it and came to the conclusion that they would soar through and land on a new catwalk a good ways in front of them. The Doctor noticed the portals and then looked at Darra, "oh please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"Do you trust me?" Darra returned the Doctor's nervous look with a confident one. She's done this a million times, she knew exactly where they would land and how much it'll send a tingling sensation to her feet.

"Yes, but this is insane, you can't just place portals at random and hope for the best!"

"Why? I do it all the time," Darra rolled her eyes, grabbed the Doctor's arms and wrapped them around her, "hold on tight." She noticed from the corner of her eye that he was blushing as he held her tight. That was new. With a simple shrug, she brushed it off, scooped up his legs with her arms and jumped off of the catwalk. This was a new experience, falling through a portal, holding onto someone she just met, and the person holding on for dear life screaming the entire way. If it weren't for the screaming, she might have enjoyed it. After a rough landing, in which her feet landed perfectly on the ground, but stumbled as she regained balance from the new weight of her companion, and said companion holding on too tight. "Doctor," she breathlessly spoke, "you're choking me."

"What?" The Doctor looked at Darra, realized his arms were now around her neck and holding her in a death grip. He immediately let go of her and stood by himself on the catwalk, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Darra merely nodded while she hunched over and began to cough.

"Next time, we're going one at a time," Darra used the railings to hold herself up, comparing this sensation to how she imagined a death from Neurotoxin would be. It took a few minutes of her coughing and the Doctor's panic for her to make a recovery, which quickly made her realize that dying from Neurotoxin would be a lot more painful.

"I am so sorry, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Darra breathed and stood up straight. At that moment the catwalk began to shake violently, barely managing to stay upright, Darra raced down the catwalk towards a door. "This way!" The Doctor quickly ran after her. In a matter of moments she slammed into the door, but it didn't budge. She didn't understand it, in all her months of being awake, all of the doors opened automatically when she came near it.

"Let me though," the Doctor squeezed past Darra and pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver again, aimed it at the door handle. _Click._ He smiled and pushed down on the door handle while pushing the door itself. The door swung open and they walked inside. The room was a small office space with desks and broken chairs. Computers rested on the desks, slanted, and cracked. Darra coughed after a breath of dust.

"Someone really needs to clean this place up," the Doctor commented as he explored the room. He moved a file cabinet over and stared at the graffiti on the wall.

_The cake is a lie_

_The cake is a lie_

_The cake is a lie_

_The cake is a lie_

The Doctor sighed as he scanned a drawing of a camera with words scribbled next to it.

_She is always watching you_

"What happened here?" Darra asked.

"GLaDOS happened," the Doctor answered as he walked back to Darra, "you humans, always out trying new things, exploring new worlds, trying to outshine the generation before you. Who knew one of your attempts would lead to a massacre?"

"Massacre?"

"Bring Your Daughter to Work Day, the day those Aperture scientists decided it'd be a great day to turn GLaDOS on. _She_ took control of the entire facility, sealed the exits, and flooded the place with Neurotoxin in less than thirty seconds. A test subject named Abbey installed a Morality Core on GLaDOS to make _her_ shut off the Neurotoxin. Within one minute the scientists were dead, except a few, and their test subjects were put in for a long sleep," he looked away from Darra, "the children who survived became _her_ toys, a test to see if _she_ could speed up their aging process so _she_ could put them through the test chambers sooner."

Darra was too stunned to come up with any sort of reply.

"I know," the Doctor straightened his jacket and bowtie as he walked towards another exit, already he knew what was going through Darra's mind. Darra followed him, she read something on the wall as she passed it.

_Help me_


	3. Vilify

Once more the Doctor and Darra raced down a catwalk, only the Doctor was startled by the sound of a crusher smashing the catwalk behind them. Darra kept her eyes forward, focusing on running. Suddenly a crusher appeared in front of them, in an instant their path was gone. Without a moment's hesitation, Darra pushed the Doctor onto the top of the crusher and jumped onto it herself.

"Why did you do that?" The Doctor practically snapped at Darra, knowing full well the crusher would soon rise to the ceiling and squish them. Darra grabbed his hand, stepped to the other side of the crusher and jumped off when it just got slightly above the next section of the catwalk. The Doctor smiled slightly while being dragged onto the catwalk. "Oh, right. Why didn't I think of that?"

"You're not a test subject," Darra answered and kept moving down the catwalk, the Doctor followed her quickly, but without a response. He had no idea what to say to a simple sentence that managed to be so complex at the same time.

_Clank_

In an instant, the catwalk's wires broke and the duo began to fall with absolutely no floor in sight.

"Doctor!" Darra pulled the Doctor in, held him tight with one arm and aimed at the wall, and fired a blue portal at the first portal surface she could spot. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her, holding tight as he pointed the Sonic Screwdriver in many directions, trying to find something that could make a landing. Luckily a panel moved out from its position as a floor in a test chamber and had enough parts to make it stretch out so it was beneath them.

"Look down!" The Doctor exclaimed. Darra did as he said and created an orange portal on the newly found floor, they fell through the portals and soared across the way.

_Smash_

The two crashed through a window, feet first. The Long Fall Boots made certain Darra landed on her feet, she stumbled from impact and set the Doctor down. He kept a hold of her, making sure she didn't fall over and hit the now shattered window.

"We made it," he breathed, the human in his arms nodded. She was exhausted, wanting nothing more than to sleep for a little bit. After a few blinks, she finally noticed something big and blue in the corner.

"Doctor," she whispered, "behind you."

The Doctor looked over his shoulder and smiled at the police telephone box.

"We found it, we're safe now. Whoa!" The Doctor took a step back when Darra suddenly put more weight on him, he turned his head to look at her only to find that she had passed out from exhaustion. The Time Lord picked her up and carried her over to the telephone box, set her down against it, pulled his key out and unlocked the door, and turned to look at another graffiti on the wall. It was a small painting of a crying woman with brown hair and brown eyes, he read the small lettering next to it.

_I forgive you, Darra_

He sighed and picked Darra up.

"I'm so very sorry," the Doctor kissed her forehead gently and carried her inside the box.

Wheatley stared at the Earth, the crack in his "eye" made him see two Earths.

"You're the farthest ever in space," the yellow core spoke to himself.

"Why me, Space?" He replied to himself.

"Because you are the best."

"I'm the best at Space?"

"Yes."

"Will you just let it go already?" Wheatley shouted at the yellow core in annoyance, "I get it! We're in space and you're the best at it! This is the hundredth time you've said that now!"

"SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE !" the yellow core yelled, either ignoring or just didn't register what Wheatley said.

"SHUT UP!"

The panels in the large chamber went flat, clinging to the wall for their lives. GLaDOS dangled from the ceiling, quiet, and thinking. This was when _she_ was most dangerous, when _she_ was quiet.

What could _she _do? There was nothing to be done. The Doctor and what _she_ assumed to be his new companion had already found the TARDIS and were already gone. Where? Where would they be? All of time and space, where would he take her first? This wasn't the end.

_She _will have the last laugh, _she_ must have the last laugh. But how?

The Doctor laid Darra gently on a bed in the hospital wing and conducted a full scan to check for any injuries. He finally exhaled at the sight of the results. A miracle. The only thing wrong with her pysically was the fact that she was extremely tired.

"You're going to be alright," he smiled at the sleeping girl before him, gently stroking her brown hair, "I promise."

There were plenty of times where she could have just left him behind. He was, after all, a stranger to her, he wouldn't have blamed her one bit if she had, but she didn't. Even in the last chamber she stopped to make sure he had some way to catch up with her. That told him a lot about her character. As he placed her trusty Portal Gun on the night stand, he realized something. He wanted her around, he wanted to show her all there is to see, he didn't want to just leave her somewhere to fend for herself. Yes, she was used to being alone and could probably survive on her own, but she wouldn't enjoy it. She was the first. The first one to come aboard the TARDIS as his companion that didn't have a place to call "home" nor anyone to go home to for that matter. She was alone just like him. For once it was someone who desperately needed him as much as he needed them. Amy, Donna, Martha, Sarah Jane, and all the others would have had normal lives, content lives, if they never met him – not knowing how different they'd be with him in their lives – but Darra, she would have lived a tortured life of testing under the watchful eye of a robot that would love to toss her corpse into an incinerator more than anything in the world. Maybe this time things will be different.

A slight twinkle of light from something in Darra's pocket forced the Doctor out of his thoughts and back to reality. He blinked a few times and looked at the golden object in her pocket. Curiosity getting the better of him, he reached into the girl's pocket and pulled out a golden pocket watch. It was dented, probably from a turret's bullet hitting it just right, but he could see the engravings just fine. He recognized it immediately. Gallifreyan. He froze in place, staring at the fob watch in his hands, gradually his hands began to shake as his eyes slowly shifted to look at Darra.

"Darra."


	4. Gamble

"Who is she?" A woman asked the Doctor, her blonde and curly hair swaying when she turned her head to look at him.

"I'm not sure," the Doctor answered as he stared down at the still sleeping Darra, "I just found her at Aperture."

"Surely you've met her somewhere before if she really is a Time Lady," the blonde woman reminded him, "perhaps at the Academy on Gallifrey?"

"No, no, that could not be," he paused in mid-sentence and thought it through, "of course! Stupid Doctor! I should have recognized her the moment I saw her!"

"Then who is she?"

"She's Darra!"

"We've already established that, you gave her that name, remember?"

"Yes, of course I remember. I named her after a Time Lady I knew a long time ago, she reminded me of her," the Doctor smiled, "I named her after herself."

"Darra, is that her real name?"

"Of course it isn't. She just thought of it one day, thought it sounded good, and started calling herself that."

"Like 'The Doctor'?"

"No, that's something else entirely. Pay attention, River."

"Oh I am, Sweetie."

The Doctor continued to smile at Darra.

"So," River decided to break his silence, "what was she like?"

"Amazing. She was very popular, always talking to someone at the Academy. Nearly every time there was an argument, she would get dragged into it because she was the best at resolving it in such a way that both parties would be satisfied," he looked at River with excitement, "don't you see? This is my chance. If she won't forgive me for what I've done then no one will."

"How are you going to tell her? She doesn't remember any of it, all she remembers is Aperture."

"I'll get her to open the watch, her Time Lady essence will come out, and she'll remember everything. Then I'll just fill in the gaps and explain what happened."

"What if she doesn't forgive you?"

The Doctor froze in thought for a few moments before slowly looking down at Darra. What if she chose not to forgive him? What if she hates him for it? How could he endure it?

Perhaps it was best if she didn't remember.

But wasn't it worth trying? What if she does forgive him? Wouldn't that make the gamble worth it? He had no idea what to think. A moan pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Where... am I?" Darra slowly opened her eyes and scanned the area. She looked at River, "Who are you?"

"Professor River Song, archeologist," River smiled softly at Darra, "how are you feeling?"

"Like my head will fall off if I sit up."

"Then don't sit up," the Doctor chimed in, keeping his true feelings hidden behind a smile, "you've earned a rest."

"Doctor," Darra smiled weakly at him, her eyes barely open enough for her to actually see him, "I thought you left."

"I would never leave you," the Doctor wrapped his hands around one of hers.

"I'm glad," she watched his light blue eyes as they looked down at the fob watch, "something wrong?"

"No, no," he replied, immediately looking back at her, "everything is fine. Where did you get this?" The Doctor let go of her hand and held up the watch.

"I don't know. I just woke up with it, I assumed it was a part of the tests, but I never had to use it. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Getting bored of space, too big, too big," the yellow core suddenly announced, "wanna go to Earth."

"About bloody time," Wheatley agitatedly responded.

"Earth, Earth, Earth. Wanna go home, wanna go to Earth."

After another hour and a half of sleep, Darra finally sat up in bed. Her muscles ached from all of the testing, it was like her entire body knew it wasn't in the facility anymore and decided to announce all at once just how much it disliked the never-ending tests. Something was different, though, very different. What was it? It only took a few moments of pondering before she realized what it was: she wasn't wearing any shoes. The Doctor must have taken them off to ensure she was comfortable while she rested. She sighed as she stared at her bare feet, it was very strange not wearing them after months of running in them and surviving long falls because of them. She felt insecure and naked. It felt like someone had just removed something important, something that kept her safe and alive. Cautiously, she began to climb out of bed, wincing and immediately returning her feet under the covers after first touching the floor.

"It's cold," she muttered to herself.

"Oh good, you're awake," River smiled as she entered the small hospital room.

"And still don't know where I am," Darra commented.

"You're in the TARDIS, which I believe is currently in England. 1796."

"This is a joke, right?"

"Nope."

"I know it is, we're in Aperture Science in 2012. I know we are."

"Well get ready for a big culture shock," River sat down on the edge of Darra's bed, "now then, the Doctor is out with Jane Austen, something I will say that I disapprove of, but that's beside the point. Right now we can talk, just the two of us."

"What are we going to talk about?" Darra questioned, very uneasy. It's the first time she's alone with someone and not having her Portal Gun nearby for a quick escape if anything bad happened.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," River gave Darra a reassuring smile, "I just want to talk about you."

"Why? I'm sure the Doctor already told you everything there is to say."

"You have no idea," River suddenly turned and began to straighten the sheet on her part of the bed, "the Doctor enjoys traveling with at least one companion, he can't handle being alone for too long. Meeting someone new and having them travel with him gives him hope, every time he hopes it will be different and won't end in a departure. Your being here has resulted in even more hope than usual."

"Why?"

"Several reasons. So, no matter what happens, I want you to remember this one thing: the Doctor has two of the biggest hearts in the universe, never break them."

"How could I break them? Wouldn't that kill him?"

"That's an expression, sweetie."

Darra instinctively looked at the door way when she heard a door suddenly slam shut.

"River!" The Doctor's voice shouted as he walked towards the hospital wing, "she turned me down! I gave her the option to travel with me and she turned me down! Who does that?!"

"You knew she would, Sweetie," River chuckled as the Doctor appeared in the doorway.

"Ah! You're awake," the Doctor's shocked face turned to a happy one, "welcome to the living. River didn't say anything too horrible, I hope."

Darra quickly shook her head.

"Well that's good," the Doctor walked over to them, "don't worry about your boots, they're getting washed," without realizing it, his eyes moved from looking at Darra's fully awake face to the fob watch lying on the bed next to her.

"_Why does he keep looking at it?_" Darra thought as she watched him.

"Doctor, might I have a word in private?" River spoke up as she stood up, straightening her shirt before walking out of the room, "now."

"Of course," the Doctor hesitantly followed River, leaving Darra alone. Darra decided now was a good time to get up, maybe explore the room a bit just to make sure there weren't any turrets hiding somewhere. Carefully she climbed off the bed, embracing the coldness on her feet, and began to walk around the room. The clinking sound of the watch clanging against her pants made her more and more curious by the second.

"I know this is hard for you," River softly spoke, "but you need to decide what you're going to do. The longer you take to decide, the harder it will be to take action."

"I know, River, I know," the Doctor sighed as he straightened his bow tie, "I'm just not very sure right now. It is my chance, but it's a gamble. She could end up despising me for it."

"Doctor, I'm sure-" River stopped in mid sentence at the sound of a loud thud in the hospital wing.

"Darra," they both breathed out at the same time and raced to the hospital wing. The Doctor was stunned, unsure what to think of the sight before him.

Darra was lying on the floor, unconscious, with the watch lying in her hands. It was open.


	5. Conflicted

The Doctor beamed as tears stroked down his cheeks, his hands were shaking whilst holding the unconscious Darra close to him. He had such a rush of emotions he had no idea which one he was experiencing now. The days of being the very last of the Time Lords was over now, there was another in the universe now, but eventually he'd have to tell her what he's done. While he might not be alone now, she may force him to be later when he tells her. Then an idea popped into his head.

"What if we keep it hidden from her?" The Doctor asked as his eyes looked up at River.

"Just how are you going to hide the fact that her home is gone and the Time War is over?" River snapped as she folded her arms, "she's going to find out sooner or later and if you keep it hidden from her for too long then I'd hate to be you when she does find out."

"That makes two of us," he sighed and moved his gaze back at Darra. She looked so peaceful and relaxed, a very nice change from the stiffness back at the facility. This moment was perfect, he smiled to himself, but he then thought of how she'll react when he tells her. Almost perfect.

"Doctor," River unfolded her arms and placed her left hand on his right shoulder, "it's going to be alright. With some thought, I'm sure she'll forgive you, even just a little."

"Thank you, River."

The pair froze for a moment before slowly looking down at Darra after the sound of a slight moan.

"My head," Darra mumbled as she fought the urge to open her eyes. From the light pushing through her eye lids, she could tell it was still a bright room and she was in absolutely no hurry to face it.

"Darra?" The Doctor shakily asked, attempting to hide his uneasiness, "are you alright?"

"Yeah," Darra grumbled as she hesitantly opened her eyes to see the Doctor, instantly regretting it as the look on his face was making her queasy, "just got a splitting headache."

"Well that's better than what I got when I did the same thing," he released a slight laugh as he remembered his last regeneration turning himself human to hide from the Family of Blood, "I was really dizzy for a while."

"Darra, what happened? How did you end up at Aperture?" River questioned with curious concern.

"It was a prank gone wrong," Darra sighed, "Drax thought it'd be funny to force me into the Chameleon Arch and turn me human. He said it'd be bitter-sweet for the Doctor, but something went wrong and he left me on Earth. I was found by a couple of Aperture scientists and they had me take their several tests in exchange for food and a place to stay."

"But then the government found out what was going on and those scientists put you in the Vault to hide the evidence," River completed Darra's story. Darra nodded.

"The next thing I remember is being awoken by two robots and forced to do more tests by a voice."

"GLaDOS," the Doctor sighed as he named the voice.

"Yep."

"Mommy," a little Chell ran over to a couch where a woman sat, the darkness of the night made it difficult to see, but she knew exactly who that woman was.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" The woman asked as Chell clung tightly to her left leg.

"I had a nightmare, mommy," Chell cried.

"Oh," the woman bent over and picked Chell up, placing her on her lap, "it's alright. I'm here and nothing will harm you while I'm here," her arms wrapped around Chell, holding her in a secure embrace. Chell rested her head against the woman's chest and was soon relaxed as her protector sang her a lullaby. It was a strange lullaby, Chell didn't understand a single word the woman sang to her, but she loved the tune. Before Chell knew it, she had fallen asleep.

"I don't understand," River whispered to the Doctor as Darra put her Long Fall Boots back on, "why did Drax think turning her into a human would be bitter-sweet for you?"

The Doctor swung left and right on his feet as he thought for a few moments.

"She's the one that got away," the Doctor hesitantly answered, "turning her human would mean she wouldn't remember what I did to her, plus she'd be more willing to travel with me," he sighed, "but she'd be a lot more vulnerable."

River stared at him in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that," the Doctor retorting what he knew was going through her head, "it's in the past. Drax didn't know Darra and I agreed to remain friends."

"So, you friend-zoned each other," River snickered at her own remark.

"Shut up, it's not like that."

Darra picked up her Portal Gun after finding her boots were secure on her feet and walked over to the couple.

"I hope you're not spreading gossip about me," Darra said as she watched the Doctor squirm.

"No, just having a little chat," River smiled, "why are you using those?" River inquired after the boots and portal gun.

"I figured the Doctor had some plan to take me off somewhere to see something and knowing his reputation, it's going to fall apart and I'm going to need some sort of protection."

"It's going to be perfectly alright," the Doctor attempted at defending himself.

"Of course it will," River looked at the Doctor, "why else do I always arm myself when you're around?"

"Shut up."

"Two against one, Doctor," Darra laughed. River placed an arm around Darra.

"I think we're going to get along just fine," River eyed the Doctor, "to the Doctor's dismay."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and walked off to the TARDIS console room.

"You're his wife, aren't you?" Darra asked River when she found they were alone.

"Yes," River removed her arm from around Darra, "and you're like an old college girlfriend."

"Except we were never together," Darra retorted, "I invited him to spend some time with me back at the Academy, but he found that creating a Sonic Screwdriver would be much more valuable to his time. I took the hint and moved on," she shrugged, "a lot of our classmates believed we'd end up together in the end, but it never happened."

They fell silent for a few moments at the sound of the TARDIS preparing to travel through time and space again.

"Would it ever happen?" River broke the silent, "I know I won't live forever, so would it happen after I die?"

"I have my doubts," Darra looked at River in confusion, "he's changed, and I don't mean the whole regeneration thing – that part is obvious. I mean the way he looks at me, it's very different from before. It's hard to explain."

"There's no need," River sighed, "I know perfectly well what you mean."

"You do?"

River nodded.

Wheatley continued to stare at the Earth.

"Ah, come on, just a little closer," Wheatley begged, "please?"


	6. Tragedy

"I hope you have something really good in mind," River warned the Doctor, "because you'll have to tell her eventually and you better make sure she's had some joy before you do."

"I know, River," the Doctor muttered as the TARDIS screeched while landing.

"You left the breaks on again," River sighed as she checked the scanner.

"Still love that noise," the Doctor smiled at River before leaving to check on Darra.

Darra sat quietly on the hospital bed, clenching her Portal Gun in her hands, she had so many emotions running through her she had no idea which one she was experiencing at any moment. There had been so many times the Doctor had invited her to travel with him and every time a part of her wanted to accept, but something always happened and it always led her to declining. There was nothing to hold her back this time the only problem was is that she had no idea that was the case. Her brown eyes stared at the Aperture logo on the side of her Portal Gun, human memories flooded through her. A prank gone terribly wrong, that was an understatement. Thanks to Drax, she ended up in the facility as a test subject, forced to do all of those tests just to keep food in her stomach, and then forced into a long sleep until the robots woke her up to make the tests start all over again. Her nails scratched at the logo, trying desperately to peel it off, to peel the memories away. Aperture technology, so impressive, so incredible, and yet so terrifying. The boots and gun were going to be a constant reminder of that terrible place, but she couldn't get rid of it. Despite the memories, they were the only things that made her feel safe as they did save her life on multiple occasions.

"Darra?" The Doctor's voice pulled Darra out her miserable thoughts.

"Yes?" Darra immediately stopped scratching the logo and looked at her company, attempting to hide what she was trying to do.

"You alright?" He asked with concern as he walked over to her.

"Yes, yes," she answered while getting up on her Long Fall Boots, "I'm fine."

"Come on," He grasped her hand and smiled, "I've got a surprise for you."

"An adventure?" She guessed as he walked towards the console room, dragging her behind him.

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

The pair made it into the console room and before River could say a word to either of them, the Doctor swung open the TARDIS door and stepped outside the telephone box. He released Darra's hand and looked around at the toppled buildings and flooded streets below them.

"Shut up!" Wheatley snapped at his companion.

"I'm in space!" The core rejoiced once more. It was little surprise to Wheatley, the core was programmed to love space so it was only natural that its moments of despising space would last only a few moments.

"I know, mate," Wheatley yelled, "I know! We all know!"

Darra hid her disappointment. It was not Gallifrey like she had hoped. It was Earth in the year 2005 AD.

"United States of America," River sighed as she looked at the destruction, "Florida. Just a couple of weeks after Hurricane Katrina."

Darra stared at the sight before her, believing that all of the people who were affected by this were left to fend for themselves. She hoped she was wrong, but doubted it. After all, that's all she remembers of the humans she's met before, they all left her to save their own skin.

"1,836 deaths in total, 135 went missing," the Doctor's excited face faded as he thought of those poor people and how horrible it was and is for them, "not much you can do when a hurricane comes in except -"

"Cover up the damage," Darra finished his sentence with her own choice of words.

"Fix it," the Doctor corrected her, "this is what humans are really like," he put an arm around Darra, "they're optimistic and caring. A tragedy like this happens and they come together to make it better for the ones who had the misfortune of being there when it happened. Yes, there are some who try to cover up the damage, as you put it, but the majority try to make it better."

Darra sighed, but before she could turn back to the TARDIS like she wanted to, the Doctor had already dragged her down the hill to get a closer look at the destruction. River was close behind them, already knowing exactly what the Doctor had in mind for Darra.

"We're going to help them," the Doctor answered Darra's question before she could ask it, "because they're worth it."

The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper and showed it to a lady under a canopy when they reached her.

"Welcome to the team," the lady smiled, "you can help hand out food."

"It'll be our pleasure," the Doctor replied and took his position at the food table, River soon joined him and motioned Darra over.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," Darra whispered to River after claiming her spot next to her, "these boots aren't exactly built for standing in mud."

"Is that the only objection?" River quietly questioned Darra as she handed a family their portions of food.

"Well, and my gun," Darra clumsily handed a man some food with one hand, "if I knew he was thinking of this, I would have left it in the TARDIS."

"You know," River commented, "you could sell it to some wealthy collector."

"Sell it?" Darra was shocked at the idea, her Portal Gun is one of the few reasons she's even alive right now. It made her feel safe, how could she possibly part from it right now? It was out of the question, she was going to keep it. Something pulling at her pants pulled her out of her thoughts, her eyes looked down and she noticed a little girl standing at her feet.

"Can I have some food, please?" The little girl begged as she held her still dirty teddy bear. Darra stared at the little girl, memorizing her blue eyes and brown hair. The girl's face broke through the defensive walls Darra put up over her hearts almost immediately. She was absolutely innocent, a victim of a natural disaster, how could Darra possibly say no to her?

"Of course," Darra cautiously handed the little girl some food, "just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay," the little girl hugged Darra, "thank you." She let go of the Time Lady and ran off.

River merely gave Darra a knowing smile.

"Shut up," Darra muttered as she continued with her work.

"I didn't say anything," River replied.

"Your smile said enough."


	7. Generosity

Darra sat on a chair in the clothes room of the TARDIS, she had been working with the Doctor and River on helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina for an entire day. She looked up at the clock and sighed.

"Six thirty," Darra quietly pulled the wet rag out of a bucket of water and scrubbed at the mud on the bottom of her boots. No matter how hard she tried, her mind kept going back to that little girl and the Doctor. Why did he choose this place? He made it look like they were going on some wild adventure, but then took her here instead. Why?

She dropped the rag back in the water, watching the clear water turn brown. Who was that little girl? Why couldn't she just leave Darra's mind alone? It was too difficult to push the image of that poor girl out of her mind, so Darra just decided to stop trying and let her in.

"Ready?" A voice broke through Darra's thoughts and forced her back to the present. She looked up and saw the Doctor standing in the doorway, "I see you're already dressed for the day." He smiled as he looked over her simple clothing; a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and work boots.

"Yeah," Darra answered and returned to cleaning her Aperture boots. The Doctor walked over to her and sat next to her, he picked up another rag and started cleaning the other boot.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

"Yep, and that's why you like me."

"Exactly."

The two Gallifreyans looked at each other, smiled, and laughed. It was just like the old days at the Academy, well almost like it. Almost an hour had passed before the boots reached the point of cleanliness that pleased their owner.

"Thanks for the help," Darra took the dirty rags and dropped them down the laundry shoot.

"No problem," the Doctor stood up, "River left last night."

"I know, she's not exactly one for subtlety," Darra picked up her Aperture boots and Portal Gun.

"Do you have plans for those?"

"Yeah, I'm going to sell them."

Darra didn't have to tell him the rest, she knew he could figure it out on his own. The Doctor smiled at Darra with pride.

"You're a very kind and loving Time Lady," the Doctor walked towards the console room, "never forget it." Darra followed him, careful not to drop her expensive items.

"Well, I have a home and they don't, so I should help them rebuild theirs, right?"

"Of course," the Doctor didn't look at his companion as he walked out of the TARDIS. He knew that she didn't have a home at all now and he was to blame. It hurt him. She lost her home like they did, but she has no idea her home is gone. Perhaps forgiveness is impossible, maybe she'll never forgive him. It seemed more likely now that she'd grow to hate him.

"You okay?" Darra asked.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine," the Doctor answered before coughing to clear his throat, "let's get to work."

The pair walked down the hill and went their separate ways: the Doctor went to the food stand while Dara went in search of a rich collector. Finding one wouldn't be too hard, she figured, rich people like to be in front of the cameras, showing everyone how good they are while everyone else does the real work.

She was right. It was only an hour before she found a bunch of cameras gathered around a celebrity who was hugging a child, but the moment the cameras moved elsewhere the man let go of the child and dusted himself off like he walked into a field of spiderwebs. After a brief introduction and a small conversation about her boots and gun, the two came to an agreement and she soon sold her precious items for $100,000 – a lot more than what she was expecting. She accompanied him to the nearest functioning bank, received her money in cash, and returned by herself to the Doctor's side.

"You did it," the Doctor smiled at the suitcase full of cash, "now to find the right people to give it to."

Darra merely nodded and left to a Red Cross station. She found the person in charge and gave them the money as a donation, naturally the Red Cross team couldn't hide their delight and all of them gave Darra the biggest group hug she had ever experienced.

"How did it go?" The Doctor asked when Darra returned to him.

"Good," Darra smiled as she helped hand out portions of food, "they were really excited."

"I'm proud of you."

Wheatley counted how long he had been in space now. 378 days, 10 hours, 5 minutes, and 36, no, 37 seconds.

"Doctor, Doctor, Doctor," the crowd cheered as they gathered around the cleared out soccer field. The Doctor raced down the field alongside a group of boys, all in pursuit of the soccer ball.

"C'mon, Doctor," Darra shouted, "you can do it!"

The Doctor kicked the ball and it flew through the air and landed right in the goalie net. He spun around with his hands in the air like he just won the world tournament, it soon ended when the opposing team showed him teamwork by tackling him altogether. The crowd laughed as a wrestling match soon broke out between a full grown man and five boys.

Darra laughed as the boys wrestled the Doctor for a solid three minutes before their mothers pulled them away. The Doctor sat up, smiling, knowing full well they were just being boys and that he was now covered from head to toe in mud. Darra walked over to him and helped him up on his feet as the crowd dispersed.

"How does it feel being beaten up by five little boys?" Darra teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Doctor laughed, "those were trolls, not boys."

"No, they were definitely boys," Darra took out a handkerchief and started wiping mud off of his face, "very ironic. The legendary Doctor defeated by five children."

"I let them win," the Doctor attempted to defend himself.

"Sure you did."

Darra finished cleaning off his face, she was about to put the handkerchief away when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Darra," the Doctor said with sudden sadness in his eyes, "there's something I need to tell you."

"Nothing too dreadful I hope," Darra replied, uneasy on where this is going.

"Unfortunately, it's very dreadful," the Doctor answered, "do you remember the Time War?"

"Just a little, Drax pulled his prank before I could get too involved in it. Is it still going on?"

"No, no, it ended a while ago."

"Well that's good, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's just how it ended that isn't so good."

"How did it end?"

"Rassilon came up with the plan to save the Time Lords by turning them into beings of complete consciousness, but it would come at the price of destroying the rest of the universe. I had to stop it, to save everyone else, so I used a creation of mine to put a Time Lock on them."

Darra was stunned, not sure what to say, all she could do was pull her hand away from him.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor whispered to her, desperate to maintain hope of forgiveness, "I really am."

"That was our home," Darra spoke up after a few moments of silence, "our friends and families were there. How could you just wipe them out like that?" Darra fought back the urge to cry. The one thing she didn't want to have happen happened, she was homeless, friendless, and she lost her family. Everything was gone.

"I didn't want to," the Doctor tried to make it sound better, "but innocent lives would have been lost if I didn't. All of these innocent people would be gone if Rassilon went through with it."

"What about our people?" Darra snapped, "our friends and families, are they not innocent as well?"

"Of course some of them are. I wanted to save them, I really did, but I just couldn't. Please, forgive me."

"I need some time," Darra sighed and walked away from him.

The Doctor stood there, watching her walk away. A part of him wanted to run after her, hold her, and continue to beg for forgiveness, while another part knew it was best to give her some time alone. He was grateful to her, she was being merciful. Instead of immediately saying "no" and resolving to despise him for the rest of time itself, she decided to think about it. After all he did, she still decided to be kind to him.

Darra wandered through the broken streets, she paid very little attention to where she was going. Her home was gone, everything was gone, all that remained was her watch, a TARDIS, and the man who took it all away from her. How could he possibly do all of that and still smile and act like none of it happened? It did happen. Nothing he does or says would ever change that. Her feet stopped and she looked around, becoming just aware enough of her surroundings to know she's in a cemetery. She sighed and sat down on a cold, metal bench. She found this location rather fitting.

"Mother, Father," Darra sighed as tears began to stream down her face, "I'm sorry. Please come back to me." Unable to stop herself, she hid her face behind her hands and wept. The tears just wouldn't stop. This had to be a nightmare, it had to be. Her home couldn't be gone, that's just impossible. At the sound of wings flapping, she rose her head and looked around, freezing at the sight of a gray hand just inches away from her face. Instincts told her to run, to get away from the hand, but she was so drained and confused she couldn't move. The only thing she could was stop herself from blinking. At that moment she wished someone would come at stare at the statue while she regained control over herself, but from the silence of the cemetery she knew it wasn't going to happen. Her eyes stung and desperately wanted to close, she silently declared them a traitor while their only defensive argument was the tears that were still falling down her face. The statue didn't care that Darra was crying, it didn't care that she just found out there's nothing to go back to, all it cared about was when the Time Lady would blink. At last she couldn't keep them open any longer.

She blinked.


	8. Separation

"Are you alright?" A male voice asked as a tanned hand replaced the stone hand from only a few decades in the future.

"No," Darra wiped her tears away and took the hand, letting the man pull her up, "but don't worry about it, it's nothing to concern you with."

"Where did you come from?" The man looked at her with curiosity. Darra scanned him with her eyes, he was about the same height as her and wore a suit underneath a white lab coat, his cheek bones bulged out of his skinny face with small, light blue eyes lying above a triangular nose.

"No where," Darra forced a smile to hide the fact she was falling apart inside, "I'm Darra."

"Doug Rattmann," Doug shook her hand before finally releasing it, "you'll need to come with me, Darra. Mr. Johnson is going to want to know about this."

Darra followed Doug down the hallway, trying to hide her terror at seeing the Aperture logo on his lab coat. Out of all of the places the Angel could have sent her, it chose Aperture. From the looks of the hallways and doors, she assumed it was probably the same year that Cave Johnson died.

"What do you want?" Cave snapped after Doug and Darra walked into his office. Darra quietly looked around the room from her spot in the doorway, it was smaller than she expected, the room consisted of one desk with two chairs in front of it, a shelf behind it which mainly consisted of plaques and pictures of lab workers slaving away over electronics.

"It's her, sir," Doug put an arm around Darra and gently pushed her forward, "I found her in one of the hallways, she just appeared out of no where."

"Out of no where, huh?" Cave coughed paused to cough, "no one just appears 'out of no where', Rat!"

"But that's what happened, sir," Doug argued, "I just blinked and there she was."

Darra was silent while they spoke, finding it funny how Doug's point of view of the incident involved blinking as well.

"Did you forget to take your pills again?" Cave interrupted Darra's thoughts.

"No, sir," Doug answered, "at least I don't think so."

"Go take your **** pills."

"Yes, sir," Doug left the office and closed the door behind him.

"What's your name?" Cave questioned as a coughing fit began. Darra waited a few moments for his coughing fit to end before answering.

"My name is Darra," she answered.

"Caroline!" Cave pushed a button on his intercom, "Caroline! Bring me more pain pills!"

"Yes sir, Mr. Johnson," a woman's voice answered him through the intercom.

"You a spy from Black Mesa?" Cave interrogated.

"No," Darra calmly answered, keeping up the image of being absolutely emotionless, "Black Mesa could fall apart for all I care."

"I like your attitude already," Cave laughed, his laughter was soon stopped by another coughing fit. Darra turned around just as the door opened and a woman walked in. She was wearing a white dress with a red ascot around her neck and white high-heel shoes on her small feet, her brunette hair gracefully fell down like a frame around her face, turning into waves as it rested upon her slim shoulders.

"Here are your pain pills, Mr. Johnson," Caroline walked across the small office and placed two pills and a glass of water on the desk.

"Thanks, Caroline," Cave placed the pills on his tongue, drank the water, and swallowed the pills and water at once, "Oh, Caroline. This here is Darra, she's our new janitor."

"Wait, what?" Darra looked at Cave in absolute surprise.

"Nice to meet you, Darra," Caroline smiled warmly at Darra, already she knew what was going on, "I'll call for Steve, he can show you around." With that, she walked out of the office again.

"That was sudden," Darra observed.

"You want the job or not?" Cave barked in annoyance.

"Yeah," Darra answered, soon figuring out that it might be a while before the Doctor would find her again. Perhaps starting a temporary life is what she needed right now. Cleaning isn't that difficult, being the oldest of four she had to clean up after her younger siblings very often. The Academy wasn't all that different as she and the Doctor were constantly cleaning up the Master's messes, of course both of them went by different aliases at the time.

"Good. You start immediately."

The Doctor paced in front of the TARDIS, anxious for Darra's judgment. It was coming, the one thing he had been waiting centuries for: judgment, the time where a Time Lord finally casts the final verdict and decides upon a suitable punishment for his actions. Perhaps punishment might not be the right word, he had punished himself many times but so far Darra was proving to be a bit more merciful. A sudden wave of panic went over him. Darra. He couldn't sense her at all. In a matter of seconds he could feel her presence vanish. Where was she before? He thought carefully of the direction she was in. The cemetery. Memories flashed through his mind. _"Raggedy Man," Amy turned around to face him one last time, "good bye." Then she was gone, replaced by a Weeping Angel._

"Oh no!" The Doctor gasped as he raced into the TARDIS, "no no no!" He flipped switches, pushed buttons, trying to get a clue of where the Angel sent her. He wasn't going to let that statue take Darra away from him, he needed to know what her decision was. The TARDIS began to wheeze and it started up, the mad man inside vowed he would find Darra no matter what the cost.

"Hello!" The man greeted Darra as she approached him. He had an oval-shaped head with a long nose that looked more like a rectangle at the end of it, his rectangular glasses rested upon his nose in front of his big blue eyes. Despite having a short hair cut, his dirty blonde hair managed to be in a total mess at the top of his head. The man was shorter than Darra and wore a blue suit underneath his lab coat that was too big for him. It was obvious that he had tried to make the coat work as there were safety pins on the sleeves, attempting to hold the sleeves up so they wouldn't hang over his hands. "I'm Steve," he introduced himself with a cheerful West Country accent, "you must be Darra."

"Yeah," Darra looked at him rather confused, "how did you know?"

"Caroline told me," Steve grinned, it was the silliest grin Darra had ever seen, "she told me to show you around today. Wouldn't be good if you got lost on your first day."

"No," Darra couldn't help but smile, "no it wouldn't. Thanks, Steve."

"No problem, mate," Steve began to walk down the catwalk, "now let's get started."

"Right," Darra quickly followed him.

The Doctor moaned as he plopped down onto the bench in the console room, the TARDIS couldn't detect Darra anywhere. He had no idea where she was now, she could be anywhere in the past and anywhere in the universe. This wasn't going well at all.

"And this," Steve smiled as the door automatically slid open, "is the Meeting Room."

Darra looked at the large table with chairs lined up around it, all of the chairs were occupied by annoyed men in lab coats. A projection on the wall told Darra everything she needed to know: this was the group that were working on GLaDOS and from the small mistake in the algorithms on the wall, she could tell they had reached a road block. She knew exactly how to fix it, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to. She could easily just ignore it and let them remain stuck, chances are they wouldn't figure it out and GLaDOS would remain a failure. It tore at her hearts to know she had to help or else she'd make several paradoxes, GLaDOS was involved in a few fixed points in time and it'd just take one to force Darra into speaking up.

"Steve," the scientist closes to the projection snapped, "what are you doing here? Can't you see we're in the middle of a meeting?"

"Well, yeah," Steve answered, "but Caroline told me to show Darra around, so that's what I'm doing."

"You've shown her this room, now move on to the next one."

The men all stared at Darra as she edged her way towards the computer that was hooked up to the projector, she was taking advantage of the slight distraction.

"Hey!" The scientist turned to Darra, "back away from that. You don't know what you're doing."

"I know more than you do," Darra calmly replied as she began deleting parts of the algorithms and replacing them with the correct ones, "it's all wrong."

"Stop that!" The scientist yelled, but quieted down as he stared at the projection. "How did you know that?"

"I paid attention in school," Darra finished correcting their mistakes and walked back towards Steve, "I believe you were going to show me the custodian closet next."

"What?" Steve looked at Darra, so surprised that he needed a few moments to catch up, "oh right! Yeah, custodian closet!"

"Wait," the scientist placed a hand on Darra's shoulder, "I think you're better suited for working with us than playing maid."

"But Cave said that-"

"Never mind what Cave said," the scientist interrupted Steve, "that old goat isn't going to be running this place for very long, and besides, this is my group: I decide who's in it and I'm choosing Darra."

"R-right," Steve cleared his throat, "good luck, Darra. If you need anything, lemme know."

"Of course," Darra smiled at Steve, "thanks again."

"Back to playing portals, Steve," the scientist rushed Steve out of the meeting room. "Now for introductions," he used a friendlier tone as the door closed, "I'm Clark." Clark began pointing at everyone around the room, "that's Damian, Raymond, Jason, Kevin, Deryl, and Henry."

"Nice to meet you," Darra waved a bit at the group, her enthusiasm dwindling by the second. Henry got up and walked over to her, immediately shaking her hand.

"I'm looking forward to working with you," Henry smiled, the light gleaming off of his nearly bald head.

"Same here."


	9. Cave

Darra sighed as she sat in the break room, it had been a couple of months now since she was sent back in time and hired on as a janitor for Aperture only to be promoted in less than 24 hours. The Time Lady was unsure on which part was worse: the fact there was absolutely no sign of the Doctor or that she was now assisting in putting together one of the deadliest inventions to date. She sighed as she stared into her empty Coca-Cola Classic bottle. Hundreds of lives will be ruined by this invention and their blood will be on her hands by the time this is over. In the end, perhaps she isn't any better than the monster she was creating.

"Computer troubles?" Caroline's voice pulled Darra out of her thoughts.

"You have no idea," Darra muttered as she pulled the empty bottle closer to her, she blew into it and Caroline chuckled at the deep note that emanated from the bottle.

"You'll figure it out," Caroline attempted to cheer her friend up, "you always do."

"I guess," Darra looked at Caroline and decided to change the subject, "how's Mr. Johnson?"

"Not good," Caroline sighed, "he's getting worse, but refuses to go to a hospital. He said he'd rather die throwing out orders than lying on a bed doing nothing."

"That's Cave for you," Darra chuckled.

"Yes it is."

The door swung open as Steve walked into the room.

"Hello Steve," Darra welcomed the newcomer as he closed the door and aimed himself in the direction of the freezer.

"Hey," Steve exhausted replied as he opened the freezer door, pulled out a frozen dinner, opened the box, and began to follow the directions to heat it in the microwave. Darra took pity on him as she watched, in his team he was at the bottom of the totem pole and as such he worked twice as hard as everyone else while getting criticized for contributing very little to the projects. The man exhausted dropped into a chair at the table and placed his meal in front of him and let out a long sigh as he realized he forgot to get himself a drink, Darra merely smiled at him and got him a bottle of Sprite. "Thanks, mate," Steve gave her the best smile he could muster in his state of sleep-deprivation.

"No problem," Darra replied as she tossed her Coca-Cola bottle into the incinerator shoot. A glance at Caroline was all she needed in order to know what was going through her head, "stop it, Caroline," Darra smirked at her friend.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Caroline innocently responded.

"You're reading too much into it," Darra informed Caroline before exiting the break room. Steve was too tired to even notice the interaction between the two females that involved him a lot more than he would imagine. Caroline chuckled as she returned to her meal, declaring 'I told you so' in the scenario she played through her head, a scenario that ended with Steve and Darra's wedding.

Darra entered her cubicle and began working on the computer, computing away for the best results for the GLaDOS project. It was difficult to focus, she was too worried about Steve. Yes, he was an adult and could probably handle himself, but he's been pushing himself too hard. The two crossed paths many times every day and each day he seemed more and more tired. His higher ups in his division must be pushing him harder and harder so they could do less and less, surely he knew this. Assuming he did know, it was admirable that he never once complained, but rather foolish at the same time.

"He can take care of himself," Darra reassured herself and began to focus more on her work. She couldn't risk spending her time worrying too much about them. Worrying would lead to helping them more, which would lead to her getting even more attached to them and then it'd cause her more pain when the massacre happens.

"Who can take care of himself?" Doug's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Steve," Darra answered without thinking.

"My brother?" Doug questioned.

"What?" Darra looked up at Doug shocked, "he's your brother?"

"Yeah, his full name is Steve Rattman. I thought you knew that."

"But you two don't look alike, you don't even have the same accent."

"He's adopted."

"Oh, right."

A few moments of silence passed before Doug broke it.

"Congrats on making another break through. You're one step closer to making Cave's dream a reality."

"It's almost like immortality when you think about it."

"I see it as a prison."

"Me too."

"You're not enthusiastic about it like the others. Why do you keep working on it?"

"I have my reasons."

Fixed point in time, her only reason to make sure GLaDOS is made. All of those lives will be absolutely ruined in the process and it's all because some dying lunatic thought putting what makes a human a human into a hanging piece of metal.

"I see," Doug spoke up not wishing to pry, "well I'll let you get back to work then."

With that he left and she was alone in her cubicle. She leaned back in her chair and sighed as her mind repeated their conversation over and over again. A small smile formed upon her face, Steve wasn't working alone, his brother most likely helped him on several occasions. That's what siblings do. Her smile faded at that thought: siblings. She grew up an only child, whenever she asked her parents why they didn't have any more children, they always responded the same way. _"We wanted one perfect child and that's what we got. Why would we want more?"_ A tear fell down her face, if only they could see her now. They'd see she was far from perfect and if they had more children then they'd bring her parents much more pride than she ever could. Her parents were always kind and understanding Gallifreyans, they taught her how to not live as her emotions dictated, to show mercy whenever possible, and why taking another life in cold blood was so wrong.

As her mind traveled back to the world she'd never see again and the family she'd never return to, Darra surrendered to her mind and clocked out. She couldn't focus on anything now. She new her emotions were getting the better of her, but she just couldn't fight it. It only took one memory of home to make her want to hide somewhere and never come out and right now she was going through several memories. One of the hardest part was the fact she was relying on one person to get her out of this nightmare and that one person is the one who took her dreams away from her. He was depending on her to pass judgment on him, but she just couldn't come to the right judgment: one moment she would decide to never forgive him and the next she'd convince herself that not forgiving him would be wrong and against what her parents taught her. A Sprite bottle suddenly appeared and was pressed against her chest, she stared at it a few moments before realizing a hand was holding the bottle. Her eyes followed the hand to the wrist, then up the arm, the neck, and then at Steve's face.

"You look like you could use a picker-upper," Steve commented as he gave her a friendly smile.

"Thanks," Darra accepted the Sprite and listened to it sizzle as she opened it, "not very tired anymore, I see."

"Yeah," Steve watched Darra take a sip of the Sprite, "amazing what food and a power snooze can do."

"How long were you asleep?"

"About twenty minutes."

Darra was shocked. If he was asleep for twenty minutes and ate a meal before then, then that would mean she had stared blankly at a screen for at least thirty minutes before finally giving up.

"You alright?" Steve questioned with a concerned look.

"I'm fine," Darra lied as she drank more Sprite.

"Sorry, luv," Steve responded, "but you're a horrible liar."

"It's nothing you should worry about."

"You're my friend, so yes it is something for me to worry about."

There was no escaping it, Darra soon realized that she should tell him now. He won't let this drop until she does.

"Alright I'll tell you," Darra sighed, "just promise not to tell anyone about this."

"I promise," Steve put an arm around her and gently lead her to a vacant room, "now tell me what's troubling you."

"Is this the real life?" Wheatley sang to himself, "is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality."

"Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaace," the Space Core interrupted Wheatley's song.

"I wish I could escape from reality," Wheatley's blue eye narrowed at Space Core.


	10. Wheatley

"Wow," Steve breathed after listening to Darra's story, "I'm so sorry. Must've been hard to lose your parents like that."

"Yeah," Darra replied with hidden relief that he bought her lie, "but it was a car crash, a complete accident." She knew she couldn't tell him that they burned alongside all of her friends on an alien planet in a completely different point in time, he'd either believe it and tell everyone thus starting up all sorts of experiments on her, or he'd think she was crazy and send her to an asylum. Either option seemed worse than a lie here and there.

"Why don't you want anyone knowing about that?"

"I don't want their pity. It won't bring my parents back after all."

"Of course," Steve wrapped his arms around Darra in a comforting hug, "I'm always here if you need to talk."

"Thank you."

The Doctor let out a moan of frustration as he paced around the console in the TARDIS, he couldn't find Darra anywhere, the Angel covered up the tracks very well and there was no sign of the Time Lady anywhere. With his third tantrum in the past two hours, he kicked the console and immediately hopped on the other foot as he rubbed the one that did the kicking.

"Ow, ow, stupid TARDIS," he muttered under his breath as he sat down on the bench. A clanging noise erupted from the console as if something inside was defying the insult coming from the fourteen-hundred-year-old Time Lord. "Yes, yes, I know," he let out an exasperated sigh, "I just can't find her anywhere and you're not being very helpful."

_Clang_. Something was heard outside as if it hit the TARDIS.

"Ah!" A muffled voice came through the door, "help! I hit a box and now I'm drifting away!"

"Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!" A higher pitched voice rejoiced.

"Shut up!" The first voice snapped.

"I know who that is," the Doctor's eyes widened in surprise as he leaped onto his feet and rushed towards the door.

Wheatley spun as he drifted farther away from Earth and the strange blue box he slammed into, only catching glimpses of both as he spun out of control.

"Where did that thing even come from?" The blue-eyed AI exclaimed as he spun. He heard a loud whistling noise as the spinning began to slow down, "where did it go?" Now he was confused, one moment the box was there and the next it was gone. "Nothing just vanishes into thin air like that, especially in space! There's no air for it to vanish into! Well there is a little tiny bit of air, but not a whole lot. Certainly not enough to vanish into. How much air would one need to vanish into it? Probably depends on the size."

"OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH! I'm in SPACE!" Space sphere once again interrupted Wheatley.

"I know we're in space, mate! You've pointed that out hundreds, if not thousands, of times!"

Space Sphere seemed to not pay any attention to Wheatley's remark as it continued exclaiming its delight at the prospect of being in space, Wheatley decided to attempt at tuning his partner out.

"Not listening, not listening," Wheatley shouted over Space Sphere, "do I hear anything annoying talking about space? No! I certainly don't! Do you, random guy in a bow tie?" Wheatley blinked and looked around, finally realizing that he wasn't in space anymore but inside some large elaborate room that reminded him slightly of Aperture. "Ah! I'll do whatever you want, mate! Just don't take me to HER!"

"Easy, mate," The Doctor slowly made his way towards Wheatley with his arms out, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need help finding a friend of mine."

"I'm sure you do," Wheatley snapped back, "I'm sure that's what they all say!" He began to attempt at rolling away from the Doctor, "I bet it's a trap to take me to Her! She probably has made some bots that only look human and can go into space just to get me! Oh, she'd love to roast me in an incinerator, but not today! Today, I am getting away and finding Chell!" He let out a yelp as he rolled down the stairs, his handles snapping off like they were nothing more than arms on an action figure. The door didn't even budge as he smacked into it. "Ow!" His blue eye rolled inside the outer shell of his metal body and stopped, following the Doctor's every movement as the Time Lord crept down the stairs after the AI, "don't come any closer! I've got dust and I'm not afraid to use it! Not really sure how useful it'd be in this situation, but I still have it nonetheless!"

"I'm not one of Her creations, Wheatley. I'm really not. I have a friend whom I saved from Her, but we got separated. My friend's name is Darra, does that name mean anything to you? Anything at all?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Wheatley barked, still suspecting the Doctor of being untruthful.

"Yes! Yes I would like to know!" The Doctor snapped, "tell me or you're going back out there."

"Alright! Alright! Just don't send me back out there with... him!"

"SPAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccceeeeee!" The voice squealed just outside the door as the Doctor sighed, pulling a few levers on the TARDIS console and muffling the unnecessary noise.

"That's better, now tell me."

Wheatley's blue eye looked up at the Doctor, his metal version of eyelids closing in slowly as if thinking it all through. After a moment the Doctor startled the metal ball with a glare which erupted a rambling explanation.

"_You did very well today," _a familiar, robotic voice echoed inside Darra's mind as she absentmindedly stared at the white AI dangling from the ceiling, _"I have an idea for a more challenging test for you, perhaps we could see how long you can hold your breath while decreasing your chances of falling into toxic water. How does that sound? It sounds perfect to me. Not that I care what it sounds like to you, your ideas are worthless just like the rest of you."_

"Darra?" Steve placed a hand on Darra's shoulder, making her jump, "whoa! You alright, luv?"

"Y-yeah," Darra smiled weakly, "I'm fine." It had been five years since her best friend, Caroline, was forced into 'dying' and placed inside a core – the very core she knew would one day turn into GLaDOS. She knew her friend was gone and being replaced by one of the most sadistic AIs in human history, a part of the blame was hers. Caroline's blood was on her hands now, Darra helped speed the process of creating GLaDOS. She was so fixed on ensuring that everything would go the way they should that she forgot something very important: don't get attached to anyone, GLaDOS will kill them all anyway. Lights were moved as men with screwdrivers were working away like busy bees, getting the core placed on the dangling GLaDOS – the very core that contained what was left of Caroline. She sighed and moved her eyes downward, looking at the ring on her finger.

"C'mon," Steve moved himself so he was right in front of Darra, his back towards the workers, "we've all been working hard on this, it's gonna be great," he gently raised her head to face his reassuring smile, "you'll see."

"You're right," Darra forced a smile as she thought of the days ahead of them, "it'll be great."

"_Worthless,"_ the robotic voice echoed in her mind once more, _"absolutely worthless."_


End file.
